


Better Late than Never

by kelex



Category: Smallville
Genre: Futurefic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-07
Updated: 2003-08-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 10:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/355584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelex/pseuds/kelex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark finally says something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Late than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Babblefic. 

## Better Late than Never

by Kel

<http://kelex.popullus.net/smallville.html>

* * *

Title: Better Late Than Never  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Rating: R-ish  
Spoilers: Nah  
Warnings: Nah  
Summary: Clark finally says something  


This was Lex's fifth wedding, and the fourth one Clark had stood up for Lex during. He had missed the one to Helen, but he'd been there for Desiree, for Madeline, for Laurene, and now, the latest Mrs. Luthor. Lana Lang. 

Oddly enough, Clark didn't feel jealousy as Henry Small walked Lana down the aisle to stand beside Lex. Didn't feel any jealousy at all as she recited her vows to Lex. 

Clark didn't feel the jealousy until he handed Lex the wedding ring to put on Lana's finger. He didn't feel the jealousy until Lex's beautiful voice recited the vows they both knew by heart now, didn't feel the jealousy until Lana's fingers slid the ring over Lex's. 

That's when he thought the jealousy was going to eat him alive. 

* * *

Clark woke in a cold sweat, bile eating at the iron-like lining of his stomach. He looked over at the black velvet box on his dresser, the rings entrusted to him by the groom to hold for the wedding that would be happening later today. As he woke up, Clark realized that he absolutely could not do it again. Could not stand up beside Lex and smile while he married someone else. Not again, not today, not ever again. Not when Clark wanted Lex for himself. 

He rolled out of bed, got dressed in a hurry, didn't bother to have breakfast in the tiny, cramped Metropolis apartment he inhabited, and sped off. Didn't bother with a car or a taxi, because he could get himself to the penthouse faster than anything else could. The rings were burning a hole in his pocket, and he didn't even care if Lex was still asleep. He stopped outside the double doors to the office, and nodded to the security guard by the door. His name was on the list to come and go at need, and he didn't even have to call ahead any longer. Just took the elevator up, rocking on his heels the entire way, and once he was there, pounding on Lex's door as hard as he could without breaking it off the hinges. 

* * *

Lex was a light sleeper, and woke at the first pounding knock. The dark-haired figure stirred beside him, and eyes hued green by contacts looked up at him. "Wha?" 

Lex pulled the blanket off the stripper's muscular body, and winced at the condom wrappers that were stuck to the other man's skin. "It's time for you to leave." 

The stripper stretched, shrugged, and rolled out of bed, getting dressed quickly in skintight leather and picking up the money Lex had left on the nightstand for him. "Want me to get the door?" 

"Just tell whomever it is to come on in." Lex sat up, made sure the blankets covered what they needed to cover. 

"Okay." The stripper shrugged, and then blinked when he opened the door. 

He could have been looking in a mirror. "Go on in," he nodded, and then left. 

* * *

Clark blinked as the door was thrown open. He had been expecting Lex, or at the worst, Lana. Not a mirror-image of himself staring back at him, down to the green eyes. The person in question vanished down the hallway without a backward glance, and Clark entered the apartment. The scent of stale sex was still heavy in the air, and Clark frowned deeply as he moved through Lex's apartment. He followed the scent to the door of Lex's bedroom, and pushed the door open without a word. 

Lex looked up with bleary eyes, and snarled. "I thought I told you to get the fuck out." 

"Lex?" Uncertain. "It's Clark." 

"Oh. Sorry, Clark. Come on in. Had a late night." Lex rubbed his eyes and saw his friend clearly for the first time. "Sit down." 

Clark perched on the edge of the bed and handed the ring box back to Lex. "I can't do it, Lex." 

Lex took the black velvet box and looked at it. "Can't do what, Clark?" 

"Can't stand up by your side and pretend I'm happy for you. Can't stand up and pretend I'm not jealous of you." 

Little scowl from Lex. "Clark, we've been through this. Lana--" 

"I could give a fuck less about Lana." Vehement. "If she dies tomorrow, I wouldn't _care._ I'm jealous of _you._ I want you for _myself._ " 

* * *

Lex had left Clark sitting on the edge of the bed as he crawled into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, after a thorough dousing in cold water and open windows to air out the apartment, Lex was sitting on the couch in the living room, drink in hand, as Clark paced in front of him. Hadn't said a word as Clark had ranted for the last five minutes and finally got tired of it. 

"Clark, shut the fuck up." 

That stopped Clark in his pacing rant, and his jaw snapped shut with an audible click of teeth against teeth. 

"Thank you." He drained his drink and set the glass down on the table. "Can I get a word in?" When Clark just nodded mutely without speaking, Lex gave a little grin. "Thank you again. Now. Clark... it's all right. You don't have to do anything. You don't have to stand up for me if you don't want to. I wouldn't ask you to do that." 

Clark's ears seemed to ring. Lex was going to go ahead with this wedding and was telling him it was okay by him if Clark didn't want to come. That was fine. That was just fucking fine. 

Lex contined on blithely, unaware of the storm clouds growing on Clark's face. "I wouldn't ask anyone to show up at a ceremony where the groom has run off with his best man." 

Clark blinked. "What?" 

* * *

Lex was chuckling gleefully to himself. Ten years of being strung along by Clark's inability to make up his mind about who or what he wanted, and Lex wasn't feeling at all guilty about jerking Clark's chain a little. 

That is, until he saw the dark mask that had settled over his friend's usually calm features, and he pulled the game to an abrupt end with the declaration that the groom was going to run away with the best man. And all he got for his efforts was the equivalent of, "Huh?" 

"That is, of course, if the best man wants to run away with the groom." Lex crossed his legs as he sat back on the couch, arms splayed open across the back as he waited for Clark's reaction. 

What he got was an enthusiastic lapful of best man trying to suck his tonsils out. 

* * *

Just as soon as Clark was out of breath, he pulled back, panting softly, and looked at Lex. With wet lips and mouth swollen from kisses, and the soft look turned into a half-glare. He couldn't bring himself to be angry about the guy who'd met him at the door, not with the mirrored reflection and the now-obvious reasoning behind it. But he glared anyway. "So what's the deal with the guy?" 

"The guy?" Lex blinked dumbly as he licked his lips. "You mean this morning?" Clark nodded. "Ah. He was the stripper at Lana's little bachelorette party. He came here to get paid, and well..." He let the sentence trail off. 

Clark's eyebrow elevated. "You paid him?" 

"Something like that." Lex's eyes twinkled softly. "He had certain charms I found irresistible." 

Little cough from Clark. "Such as?" 

"Dark hair, green eyes, full lips, broad shoulders, muscular build, and a dick between his legs," Lex smirked right back. 

Clark looked down at himself as though doing a mental inventory. "You know, I have all those things!" Fake surprise. 

Lex crossed his arms over his chest in a stern posture. "Do you really? I hadn't noticed." 

"Liar." Clark giggled, and a noise like that coming out of someone his size was surprising. "Why didn't you say anything?" 

"Considering you stood up for me in three of my four weddings and were contracted for a fifth? And considering that I've seen you and Chloe and Lois and Lori Lemaris and Diana--" 

"Okay, I get the point. So I'm a social butterfly. I never slept with them though." Clark wiggled. "I just wanted you." 

"Ah. Why didn't _you_ say anything?" 

Clark looked down at where he was sitting on Lex's lap. "I think this morning qualifies as something, don't you?" 

* * *

The cancelled wedding caught nearly the entire world by surprise. 

Lana didn't complain, though. She got to keep the diamond ring _and_ the presents from the bridal shower. 

The bridesmaids didn't complain either; they got to trade the wedding party dresses in for regular dresses of their own choosing, and were given gold or silver chokers as an extra bonus. 

Even the honeymoon went off without a hitch, except for the fact there were two grooms, instead of a bride and a groom. 

Lois got her story out of it, even though it wasn't the one she'd initially gone for. 

And Clark? Clark got Lex. And Lex got Clark. 

The End 


End file.
